UW’s Reuvers frustrated by disappointing play
MADISON – Nate Reuvers’ face revealed a mix of exasperation and disbelief.
Wisconsin’s senior got the ball on the left wing and drove hard into the lane against Illinois’ Giorgi Bezhanishvili. When a second defender slid over to help, Reuvers put up a right-handed jump hook, a shot he has practiced for years.
The ball hit off the rim, but Reuvers outworked Bezhanishvili for the rebound and tried to lay the ball off the glass with his left hand.
That shot missed, too, and Reuvers was called for a foul while battling for the rebound.
As he walked back down the court, with 9 minutes 51 seconds left in the game and UW facing a 14-point deficit,
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Reuvers screamed in frustration.
If one sequence this season illustrated Reuvers’ inability to affect the game in the manner he expects, that was it.
“It’s definitely frustrating not playing to the level that you want,” Reuvers said.
Reuvers has started 98 games and played in 118 at UW. He was better overall as a sophomore than he was as an underweight freshman in 2017-18 when he sacrificed a redshirt year because UW needed front-court help.
Reuvers’ junior season was his best
as he averaged 13.1 points and 4.5 rebounds and shot 33.7% from three-point range and 44.8% overall to help UW secure a share of the Big Ten regular-season title.
His numbers are down across the board this season as UW (16-9, 10-8 Big Ten) prepares to face Purdue (16-8, 11-6) at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Mackey Arena.
Reuvers has started 18 games and played in all 25 this season. He is averaging 8.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. He is shooting just 26.9% from threepoint range and 41.2% overall. The shooting marks are his lowest since his freshman season when he shot 25.5% from three-point range and 38.2% overall.
To be fair, Reuvers isn’t the only UW player whose numbers are down from last season and he has spent hours trying to perform more consistently.
“And it’s not like I didn’t put the work in this off-season,” he said. “I felt like I put the most time in that I ever have. …
“I think part of it is the situation we’ve been put in this year. That has taken a toll on some of us more than others.
“I think if you really got down to it this year, it’s probably more (about) mental capacity.”
The situation to which Reuvers referred is the coronavirus pandemic and the unusual safety precautions the players must take to stay healthy.
Wisconsin's Nate Reuvers played a season-low 15 minutes in the Badgers' 73-69 loss to Illinois on Saturday.
Those steps include the elimination of team meals at home or away and an inordinate amount of time spent alone.
“It has been tough because we can’t go do all the normal things we like to do as a team, whether that is hanging out at somebody’s place or getting together and going to eat,” teammate D’Mitrik Trice said. “Simple things like that we were able to do last year that we can’t do this year with COVID.”
Reuvers’ numbers through the first 12 games this season were solid. He was averaging 10.3 points and 4.3 rebounds and shooting 39.1% from three-point range and 43.7% overall.
Then came UW’s 77-54 loss at Michigan on Jan. 12.
Reuvers saw his first two shots blocked, in the first 1:21 of the game. He finished 0 for 3 from three-point range and 2 for 9 overall. He played 19 minutes and contributed four points and two rebounds.
His confidence appeared shaken and UW went with a smaller lineup for the next seven games, with Tyler Wahl starting in place of Reuvers.
Reuvers appeared on the cusp of playing better several times. He scored 11 points in a loss to Ohio State, scored 18 in a loss at Penn State and 11 in the first loss to Illinois.
UW coach Greg Gard tweaked the starting lineup again for UW’s rematch with Nebraska on Feb. 10. Reuvers started and Micah Potter returned to a reserve role.
Nevertheless, Reuvers has struggled and played a season-low 15 minutes in the 73-69 loss to Illinois on Saturday. He missed all 3 three-point attempts and hit just 3 of 10 shots overall.
Reuvers, who has a bachelor’s degree in finance, banking and investing and is on track to receive his master’s in supply chain management this spring, acknowledged he tends to perseverate after subpar performances.
“We want to do well and when we don’t do as well as we think we should it can get frustrating,” he said. “I guess you’ve got to let it go and you shouldn’t think about it but it is hard. You’re just hanging out by yourself with nothing really to do. …
“Just to be able to hang out and not have it be about basketball. Just enjoy life. That has been robbed from us – from everybody.
“We see each other the same amount of time at the Kohl Center. But if it was a good weekend or you had a day off you might go out or hang out at a friend’s place or with other athletes or just hang out with friends outside of hoops.
“You don’t really have that opportunity to blow off some stress.”